Thousands of Buddhists gathered at Thailand's Wat Dhammakaya Temple on Wednesday to observe Makha Bucha, a religious holiday that marks the anniversary of Buddha's mass sermon to the first 1,250 newly ordained monks 2,558 years ago. The architecture of the temple and the choreography of the ceremonies combine to create stunning visual compositions: images of the thousands of small golden Buddha statues that make up the central dome, the 100,000 lanterns lit up at night, and the thousands of monks and other Buddhist devotees gathered in circles and rows to meditate. [18 photos total]

Pixtale is updated with new interesting photo stories nearly every day, checkout the our Archives.